Walkabout

[Kyyrk]

Much had changed since Voph had last been to Rishi. The little settlement that had once served as his base of operations had now expanded to consume the whole island. He was willing to wager that the lovely little village of rishi had been relocated (at best), but had yet to visit that island. He'd been out touring around the island that day, and now that dusk approached, he found himself at the cantina nearest the spaceport.

The Confederacy of Independant Systems, as they called themselves, had established themselves as the ruling force in this sector. Voph thought that this was perhaps the best place for him to begin seeking a new place and purpose in life. After all, he'd heard rumors that there were a couple Darths among the ranks. Perhaps they'd be more understanding of his old station. Voph sat down at the bar, and gestured for a drink. He had shed his armored tunic in favor of the dress tunic, but wore his lightsaber in full view of those around him. He may look nice, but his demeanor and weapon served as a warning that he was well capable of defending himself.

Though his head did not turn, his gaze cast about the room. He wasn't as paranoid as he was in his early days, but it still felt...wrong to be without his armor. A feeling he'd not been able to shake. He'd have to forge another set. After all, beings like him were often looked down upon. A Darth without a following was simply a very powerful man with a very large target on his back. But maybe that was his Sith paranoia talking. He lifted his drink to his mouth and took a sip, his mind wandering to his next destination. With no armies to command or wars to wage, he was a free man for the first time in a long time....

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

The last time she had been on Rishi, she had not told her brother why. Her brother had come with her, and they had been part of the Knights Obsidian group that had been tasked with taking down a cult. A cult that, among other things, had taken the woman who was once Scherezade. Her brother had aided in saving her, and he had not a clue about it. How could she tell him?

And now… Now she was on this planet again. Why? There were no easy answers. Alwine had wanted to know if there was any information that cult might have gathered on those that it had kidnapped. There had been dozens, all reported to have remember being about their daily lives when they were simply… Taken. No memory of being put down, no memories of a fight, just one moment in their lives, and the next thing they did was wake up on this dreadful planet.

But she had known it was a moot mission when she set out on it. Still, with a few free days and so much on her mind, it was a welcomed break. Alwine had known in advance she'd find nothing, and indeed, the cult's stronghold was gone, destroyed by Confederate forces, not even foundations left standing.

Marching into the bar, the five foot woman was still clad in her Obsidian type Strike Armor, despite the heat. There was nothing left for her to do in the planet, but it would be another two hours at least before the maintenance crew was ready to let the ship she'd come on leave.

With a sigh, the Lupine sat herself by the tall bar, and ordered the biggest mug of mead the menu had to offer.


[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph paused momentarily as someone, a girl, sat down beside him. His brow arched as he slowly turned his head towards her. She was dressed in...well...armor the likes of which Voph had never seen. Looks like something he might have designed for...well, that didn't matter. But that was not what got his attention. Voph had never encountered anything like her before. The second such individual. Seems the galaxy had indeed become a much wider place while he slept.

He caught himself staring, or at least his face was pointed towards hers longer than many species deemed it acceptable, and he cleared his throat quietly, turning back to his own drink. He took a gulp of the dark liquid, and muttered to himself, "By the gods the drink's not gotten any better..."

He coughed quietly, turning his attention back to the girl. Rishi had never been home to particularly influential or wealthy individuals, at least not in this city. The girl's pristine armor suggested...otherwise. His deep voice filled the space between them, crisp and Imperial, though...with an inflection that was...foreign. "An impressive set, miss. I could name at least three Mandalorians who might have been jealous of it. What brings you to these parts?"

Perhaps an odd question to ask. His own garb was rather...regal, for a place such as this. A soft-red leather tunic, paired with black leather boots and pants, and a black silk cape across his left shoulder, now moved to hang down his back, as his left arm rested against the bar. The soft silvery-black stubble had been shaved down to a fine coating, and bone crest resting over his empty eye sockets. Over all, he looked more like someone who belonged in a palace somewhere, not a dingy bar in the middle of Rishi.

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Alwine was very aware of the man whose eyes were covered simply staring at her. She said nothing at first, merely waiting for her drink, but when the staring continued she permitted a low pitched growl to come from her throat, a sound that no human vocal chords could ever properly create. When he looked away and coughed she heard it all too easily, but her mead had finally arrived, and so for a moment, she cared not.

And then the stranger spoke to her. Trained from a young age to always listen, Alwine could not ignore the words as they were uttered. She was not certain why Mandalorians would want her armor. All they had to do was join the Knights Obsidian though, and the armor would be freely given to them. It was hardly something rare to obtain among the Confederacy in general. And of course, there came the eternal question.

Only now did the petite woman turn her head to look at him. Why were his eyes covered? And why was he wasting clothes like that on a place such as this?

"I was searching for something," she said, seeing no point in lying about it, "but if it was ever here, it no longer is." Picking her mug, the tiny woman who was so often confused for a young child downed it las any grown mad would before signaling to the bartender that she was ready for another one. "Seemed as good of a place as any while the maintenance crew works on the ship that will take me back." She had almost said home. Almost. But there was no home for Alwine. Not in that sense. Oh, she lived with her brothers all right, on a ship that was usually parked on Geonosis. Yet with revelations of the recent weeks… No. It did not quite feel like home.

"If you resume to walk around here dressed as you are, you shall certainly be inviting trouble," she remarked as she look another look at him.

[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph arched a brow as the girl downed the entire drink in mere seconds. Not even he had been that bad in his day. He was about to respond when she offered the words of caution. "Hmph. Let them come. I do not fear combat." An image flashed through his head, memories of his previous visit to Rishi. The Revanites had discovered his identity, and sought to kill him. That was a fun fight...

He placed a credit chit on the bar in response to the girl signaling for another drink. "My chit. And another for me." He turned to face her again, taking a full to finish off his own drink. "I would beg your forgiveness for...my impoliteness. I understand your kind dislike being stared at. And...well...much has changed of late. I do not think I have ever encountered one such as you before."

He studied her for a moment, as if trying to decide what she was. "Not human, not entirely. If only because I've never heard a human growl like that. Seems I've more to catch up on than I previously thought." He extended a hand. "I am Voph. I'm...new to the area."

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Alwine rolled her eyes. Did not fear combat. Few people she got to meet actually feared it, but insisting on giving words to that feeling always came off as incredibly up-nose. Usually people who insisted on saying it in places like that got just what they wanted. And often, they would come out on top, of course. But it always took one bad moment to ensure they did not, and that was what so many of them failed to realize, failed to acknowledge. Anyone's status of being alive was not to be taken for granted. She had learned it on her very own flesh.

She rolled her eyes again as he covered her payment. "I can pay for myself," she said, tossing her own credits to the barman. They were not on Stewjon. She had her own money, and she had a job to ensure that she did. No man, woman, or non-near-human alien was ever going to pay in her stead, especially not without checking with her first.

"It is my understanding that most people dislike being stared at. Even by those who cover their eyes," she answered as she took a sip from her second drink, "and I am not human at all. Raised to pass as one, though."

Thinking a moment, she resumed, "I doubt you have met another like me, but if you have, I would want to her of it. As far as I know there are only two families left to my species, the Lupines. I've spent some time searching for others, but so far… Nothing."

And there was a name. "Alwine," she gave hers in return. "Why are you in these parts, Voph?"

[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph chuckled. "I...meant species with eyes. My kind....do not respond well to visual cues. Most of us, anyways. I may be rusty but I spent my fair time among humans." He took a gulp of his new drink as it was delivered. "I understand the feeling of being alone. I think I've only met....three others of my own kind before."

He smiled gently at the girl. Alwine. "Lupine. Never heard of that one before. Must be a new species. That or one extremely well hidden. Though...I seldom had time to sit and discuss with anything more than humans. As for what I'm doing here...well... I'm wandering. Simple as that. Lots of places changed over the years. Been revisiting old haunts, getting a feel for what's new."

He gestured to the bar as a whole. "I remember when this city was nought more than a village on the east coast of the island. A real haven for pirates back then. Most kept pretty civil, but there was more than enough firefights erupting in the streets...still the assignment I miss the most."

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

That was why his eyes were covered. He simply did not have any. Alwine looked good at him then, wondering- No, there was an easy answer. She was sitting next to someone who also wielded control of the Force. How much or how strong he was, she did not have the tools to know. But lacking obvious technological solutions, there was no other explanation that she could think of.

"Neither new nor hidden," she said, not bothering to keep the resentment from her voice at the latter part. The Lechners had been hidden. The Van-Dervelds had not. There were no others that she knew of, and no others that anyone else would tell her exist. Everyone around Alwine insisted that there were no others, but Alwine knew better. The way the Lupine gene worked, it was impossible. The only question was where the others were. "On the verge of extinction," she explained, "two small families left."

Wandering. Alwine wondered what that felt like to. Everything was still new to her, and she had no time to wander around because everything was still at the exploration stage. "All these wandering and missions and this is where you go to?" she asked, her interest now genuinely piped, "why? This planet as useless as a barren moon."


[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph's brow knit together as Alwine mentioned her species' near extinction. A thought that had haunted his own dreams many a night in the old days. Though now the Miralukan people seemed to be stronger, if still rare. He chuckled as the girl asked about his interest in Rishi. "Rishi was the site of my first mission. Alone. No squadrons, no armies... Just a man, his sword, and his wits. It was not the most...spectacular planet I've ever visited, but it certainly was the most welcoming. Here...people did not care about who you were or what you did. They care about who you are. What you are doing. I found a certain respect for that."

He turned in his seat, head turning to sweep the cantina if only to allow the other patrons the courtesy of knowing he was looking at them. "And the climate is quite nice here. Not as tainted as Nar Shadda...not as hostile as Ziost...Particularly after Vitiate glassed it." Voph took a gulp of his drink. Giving away his age, that. "Dromund Kaas was nice but...well it was over run with Sith. And it rained. All the time." He turned his head back to the girl, and smiled gently. "No...I came back here because for all the places I've been, all the wars I've fought...Rishi was home. It wasn't grand. It wasn't spectacular. But it was home. My home."

He took another gulp of his drink. Clearing his throat and dabbing at a bit of liquid trying to run down his cheek with a thumb, Voph shook his head gently. "Never be so quick to disparage a planet that holds no military or resource value. Sentimental value is worth its weight in spice."

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

"I have little care for military or resource value," Alwine snapped at the eyeless man, "I serve with the Knights Obsidian but military work interests me very little, nor do I have an interest in mining resources anywhere. I am not a Lord."

The mere thought of becoming a Lord filled her with disgust. The Lords had been the ruling caste on Stewjon. They had been cruel and abusive, having no care to the state of the castes that served them, using their money and wealth instead to pander to their games of politics and personal pleasure. Her middle brother was becoming one because of his involvement with a certain woman and she loathed that too. Alwine still held hope that she would get him to see reason before it was too late.

"I do not like the planet because it provided shelter and a ground of operations to a certain cult," she explained herself, "a cult that kidnapped some people from the Confederacy. But more importantly, kidnapped a woman I care deeply about even though I had never met her at the time. I read the reports, after we rescued our people. The governor of the planet tried to wash her hands of it. The people pretended nothing had gone amiss. I loathe this planet."

[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph brow knit together as the girl mentioned cults and kidnapping. Voph couldn't lie, he was far more interested in the conversation than he had been before. After all, cults, the unknown, and mysteries of all kinds had once been his specialty. He had sacrificed his life for it. Sadly, what she spoke of was all too common. Voph took a gulp of his drink. He cleared his throat, trying to figure out what to say.

"Young Alwine...I know not where you come from...Nor what you've borne witness to. But...there is a certain strength about you. Not something that people understand. Nor care to understand." Voph gestured around the bar. "When you look around here...you see people that do not care. People that just want it to go away, and for things to go back to normal." Voph sighed, memories of a previous life roaring through his head. ​"They do not posses the strength that people like you do. To see the galaxy for what it really is."

Voph took another gulp of his drink, draining the rest of it. He gestured for another one, intending for this to be his last. "But, you strike me as the kind of person that does not enjoy heart to heart conversation. Your friend is not dead. Else you would not have come here to see what might be done. And while I may not posses the resources I once did, what I do command is at your disposal, should you find use in an old man."

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

She said nothing at first. Her strength had been noted several times by now; her brothers had always claimed she had it. Her mother had always insisted she did not. The Lords of Stewjon had certainly never made a comment whether she did or not. Only now, that was she part of the Confederacy, did some individuals do it. Did she though? Alwine was not certain, though she knew there was more for her to learn before she could answer the question for herself.

"To see the galaxy as it is, I must first see the galaxy," she replied at last. The number of places she'd visited, while infinitely more than she had ever thought she would, was still very short of a list. "I have only been to a handful of places. But I am learning that people are people, wherever they are."

Alwine winced, her eyes focused on the eye-less man. She did not feel any need to drink more at present. "I enjoy heart to heart conversations with those who are close to me. You, old man, are a stranger still. And no, the woman is not dead. But she has undergone horrible trials that broke her. I owe her a life debt and wish to uncover whatever information I can to help her."

[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph smirked as the girl confessed to actually enjoying heart to hearts. "I'm sure in a past life I would have as well. But, those would require a heart, I find." He held up a finger. "That said. I'm not..." Voph paused, his head cocked too the side. He was trying to think. As his fingers began to wag, It became apparent that he was trying to count, too. "Current year's....Eight Fifty Two...? So..." He looked down at his drink as his face contorted to a grimace. He brought his hand up to massage his brow. "I take that back. I am old."

Voph took a sip of his drink, turning his attention more fully to Alwine. "A life debt. Powerful commitment, that. Must be special to you if you've sworn that kind of oath. So. What can I do to help? I'd hate for all those years of training to go to waste. And...It always is nice to get one's hands dirty. Particularly when one has been confined to naught but administrative duties and signing paperwork for the duration of living memory..."

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

"You called yourself an old man but a moment ago," Alwine pointed out. There was a reason she had called him as such as well. By giving the term to himself, she had enough permission to use it as well since she did not recognize a difference in relevant castes. Even if he was a long lost King of somewhere, he had not identified himself as such, and therefore, she was free to use whichever titles seemed to fit.

And yes, a life debt was a powerful commitment. The letter had claimed that no payment would ever be demanded for the key that Alwine and one of her brothers had been given, but it did not change the fact that a life debt was owed, and Alwine had every intention of honoring it.

"It is special," she nodded, "it is more precious than life itself. And yet I cannot tell you what exactly in entails. There is one person who may never know of this knowledge and I am in constant fear that I may make a wrong move and the information would reach her."

[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph nodded at the girl's observation. "This is true. Though it does sound much different coming from some one else." He smiled softly, downing the last of his drink. He pushed the drink away, and spun around on his stool to lean back against the bar. "I suppose made worse by the fact I do not even rightly recall my own age." He sighed quietly, folding his arms over his chest.

"So, discretion is of the utmost importance." Voph had his suspicions as to why this was. He'd seen a lot over the years, so nothing seemed...strange to him. Still, he was willing to play along. "Easy enough. Share what you see fit, and I'll offer what advice or support I can."

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Alwine sighed. Share what she saw fit. There was very little regarding the key situation that she saw fit to share with those she had not shared it with already, barring a single exception. But the Rishi situation… That was different.

"The cult took her and a few others while they were either sleeping or about their business," she said after a moment of silence, "none of them had memories of being taken. They had memories such as being in bed, brushing their teeth, things like that. The next moment they opened their eyes, they were on this planet. This tells me that prior to being abducted, they were studied."

And whoever had studied them had done a fine job. No one among the Confederacy even knew it anything had happened until many hours later.

"Who paid for it?" she asked, looking at the old man, "where did they store the information? Who had they shared the information with? These are things I do not have an answer to. But most importantly; what exactly did the information include?"

[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph's brow furrowed. "Possibly a sedative with memory altering properties. Airborne would be best, easiest to inflict while keeping the target unaware. Paired with memory loss results in the highest rate of success. Also easiest to be covert, no witnesses. Then it's just a matter of transporting the bodies undetected, easy enough if you've got the mind for it. These people were able to abduct several others and no one noticed until after the fact. Irrelevant factoid now, but still shows that they know what they were doing."

He glanced over at Alwine as he continued. "How they were being studied is another beast entirely. How secure were the systems around them? Is there a chance they were being physically watched? If this cult wanted them....It's best to assume they knew...everything about them. As for where it was stored, that depends on how bad they needed the information once they were abducted. If it was of the utmost importance, it will have been stored off-site somewhere, and depending on the methods used, could very well be more than a simple datachit. Either way, the fact that you're sitting here talking to me tells me that you do not have access to whatever information these cultists have gathered...And...dare I say...you're at a loss for what to do next."

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Alwine listened intently as the old man spoke, taking the occasional sip from her mead. For the first part of his theory, she had thought mostly of herself, but there were a few things he had to add that she couldn't have thought of simply due to her lack of education. For instance, she had not known that sedatives could be airborne. On Stewjon, you simply got a person drunk enough. Or at least, that was how it was done when she was around to witness it, sometimes with the use of various dosages of poison that went into the cups.

But then Voph got to an interesting part. Best to assume they knew everything about them. How much would they have actually known? Some knowledge could be dangerous. What if the information had been sold to the highest bidder?

An angry expression took her delicate facial features over. "Of course I do not know what to do next!" she almost growled at him, "I would not be sitting at a bar having mead if I did!"

Slamming the mug down on the bar, Alwine didn't just growl with words, but an actual growl came from her throat, once more sounding nothing like what human vocal chords could ever produce. She knew she was an uneducated whips of a girl. She knew there was a lot she still had to learn simply to catch up with the average people that could be found within Confederate space.

"Fine," she said after regaining control of her features and growls, "what would you suggest I do from here? Their citadel is destroyed, there is nothing left behind. If any data was taken from it before that, I have no access to it either."

[member="Voph"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Voph arched a brow at the girl and her outburst. "I did not mean to upset you so. There is no shame in admitting to not understanding what to do. Or where to go."

Voph's features softened as he turned his head towards the cantons at large. "If the data was stored off site, there are ways to track it. I would imagine the local holonet satalites host logs of all the information routed through them. But, if you chose that route, would would be forced to do so without my assistance. I have no knowledge of how to accomplish such things. Just...that it is possible."

He fell silent for a moment. A long moment, actually. His face went slack, as if he were staring off into the distance. His right hand stroked the stubble across his jaw as he thought. No trace had been left. The citadel destroyed. The cultists completely routed. Nothing left. Nothing left behind. The thought escaped him. "Nothing...left...behind..."

He slowly turned to look at the girl. "You say they were destroyed. Completely? Totally? Nothing left behind? Not weapons, not records, not clothing, not corpses? Nothing?"

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

"Shame?" Alwine blinked before frowning again, "I have no shame regarding what I do not know. I ask when I do not know." She did not understand this old man. She had… Just asked. Quite literally. One of the people she trained with called it her inquisitive nature, but in truth, Alwine was simply very tangibly aware how behind she was compared to the average of the galaxy, and it was a constant chase to catch up.

"I have no way of pursuing this from the technological aspect," she admitted a moment later, "there were no droids for people like me on the planet I grew up on. It took me weeks just to figure out how to give the ones operating the Confederacy the most basic of requests."

But… Then she realized she had said so while Voph was distant. Had he heard what she'd said? She did not know. His next question struck her as odd, but the petite woman supposed she could answer it.

"The debriefing claimed only ruins, after the fortress was bombed from the inside and out. I have been there today and found nothing but rubble. If there were bodies, they were taken away. I did not pick the scent of corpses up. What do you make of this?"

[member="Voph"]